The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-02-09
MONTANA SNOW AvALAECHEs
Men, Bears, Cabins, and Trees Swep
with Resistless Force Into
the Clutches.


with Resistless Force Into
the Clutches.
The little spot of land between thu
Rockies on the west, Minnesota on the
east, and north of the forty-seventl
parallel has a greater range of temper
allure than any other portion of th'
known globe, writes Fort Keogh
Montana, correspondent of The Neu
York san. Last summer the thermom
eter registered 1913 and 124 degrees
Fahrenheit above zero in the shade, anc
only three days ago the spirit registers
showed 60 degrees below zero. This
year the snowfall is unprecedented.
All around the Butte camp are piles o.
snow such as have not been equaled fol
years past
Three days ago two prospectors in the
Cooke City mining district were up on
the side of steep mountain. working
on tunnel. Martin and West were
busy at work blasting and delving,
without thinking of danger, when from
the top of the lofty summit many tons
of snow shot down the steep incline.
Look Quit" screamed West, and
both sprang behind two-foot pine
tree. The huge mass came tearing
along and hurled the tree and the two
miners in the awful abyss thousands Of
feet below, and covered them beyond
all rescue. The bodies of the poor fell
lows are there yet, and there is nc
prospect of securing them until next
summer.
In Emigrant gulcb, few miles west
of here, the snow fall is beyond all con-
ception. A series OF avalanche3 have
been sweeping down Emigrant peak
tearing cabins from their foundationa
and burying them out of sight. al
though, fortunately. no one has been
hurt. An old miner of that section
told me remarkable story of an ava.
lanche which occurred in the gulch two
or three years ago. Emigrant gulch is
a great place for silver-tip bears. In
winter they become SO hungry that they
hunt all over Emigrant mountain for
berries and roots, and even descend in
to the bed of the gulch and attack any.
thing living to satisfy their hunger. He
had spent the winter about five miles
up the gulch on the north side of the
gorge, Emigrant peak rising eleven
thousand feet into the air directly op.
posite him. One sunny day, while sit.
ting alone at his cabin door. he saw fai
up the mountain-side q number of bears
winding along through the snow. He
counted eight of the monsters as they
came in sight one after the other.
All at once the mass of snow Gaping
The bald summit became loose and
started on rapid journey toward the
bed of the gulch. In an instant it had
reached the bears, and, picking them
up, IT tore trees up by the roots ane
seized huge powders of stone, which
were hurled with crash far into the
depths below. The noise was some
thing deafening until the avalanche had
stopped in its course. Looking up
ward he saw broad swath or path
which the avalanche had swept clean
from peak to base, as if some farmer
had with a giant scythe cleaned the
earth of trees, rocks, and heritage.
When the snow melted in the sum-
mer he found eight bears dead and
frozen. as If they had been preserved
by some refrigerating process. The
ears he had punched by the territorial
treasurer at SO a piece, and afterward
sold the hides to furrier for a similar
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